DxOMark review for the Leaf Aptus 75s

The Leaf Aptus 75s was launched during Photokina 2006. With a DxOMark Sensor score of 77.3, Leaf takes the lead for dxomark.com rankings for medium format cameras (as of February 3, 2009).

Key sensor characteristics

The Leaf Aptus 75s features a very high resolution medium format CCD with 33.28 Mpix and a 14-bit Analog/Digital (A/D) converter, and its pixel pitch is larger (7.2 µm) compared to those of the latest high-resolution DSLRs. With such a large area, photographers can expect the sensor to be very sensitive and with low noise. ISO Latitude ranges from 50 to 800—the largest range provided by any medium format camera currently in the dxomark.com database.

Key performance factors

With respect to their general use, the two most significant dxomark.com rankings for medium format are Color Depth and Dynamic Range. And both results for the Aptus 75s are impressive: a Color Depth score of 24.7 (average for 4 medium format cameras = 24.1) and Dynamic Range score of 12.5 (average = 12.4).

Our measurements show that the ISO Sensitivity settings of the camera are real (that is, all ISO Sensitivity settings are obtained by applying a gain, analog or digital, before RAW delivery) for the entire ISO Latitude range of 50 to 800.

As for (non-normalized) screen results, Color Depth (22.2) and Dynamic Range (11.43) remain good enough to allow for larger prints at high DPI.

Despite the 75s’s excellent scores, it should be noted that this technology is now two years old, and results for the latest high-end DSLRs show an impressive increase in RAW image quality sensor performance (see overall ranking).

Disclaimer: This dxomark review evaluates only the selected camera’s RAW sensor performance metrics (i.e., Color Depth, Dynamic Range, and Low-Light ISO), and should not be construed as a review of the camera’s overall performance, as it does not address such other important criteria as image signal processing, mechanical robustness, ease of use, flexibility, optics, value for money, etc. While RAW sensor performance is critically important, it is not the only factor that should be taken into consideration when choosing a digital camera.

Further readings for the DxOMark review for the Leaf Aptus 75s

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

The Overall Sensor Score is based on all characteristics of a camera sensor, independent of the camera lens, and for a general purpose use case.

The Use Case Scores take into account the sensor performance for three typical photographic use cases: the Portrait Score, based on Color Depth; the Landscape Score, based on Dynamic Range; and the Sports Score, based on Low-Light ISO.